Neighborhood enforcement leads to three arrests

Published 6:00 pm, Sunday, January 31, 2010

Three men were charged with possession of marijuana and possession of a controlled substance following a traffic stop shortly after noon Thursday on W. Jackson Avenue.

Vance Mitchell, public information officer for the Pasadena Police Department, said the incident occurred when police were doing intensive enforcement in the Sunset Terrace area following a neighborhood meeting about crime in the area.

He said a plainclothes police officer observed a vehicle making an illegal turn, and had a marked police car make a traffic stop.

The officer making the stop said he smelled marijuana in the car. The driver had no driver’s license, no insurance and outstanding warrants, which led to police impounding the car.

While making an inventory of the car before impounding it, Mitchell said police discovered a handgun, several tablets suspected of being Ecstasy, and numerous plastic bags containing a substance suspected to be marijuana.

He said the car also contained a laptop computer and three PlayStation gaming systems. One of the gaming systems, he said, had a repair tag on it with the name and number of the owner. When contacted by police, the man named on the tag said his house had been burglarized, and the game system stolen.

All three men in the car were charged with possession of marijuana and possession of a controlled substance. One was also charged as a felon in possession of a firearm due to a previous conviction.

Police responded to a robbery report about 5 Thursday afternoon at a hair salon in the 2000 block of Richey Street.

A man entered the business and, concealing his hand in his clothing as though he had a weapon, demanded money from an employee. He grabbed her arm and forced her to open the cash register. After taking the money, he fled through the rear door.

The robber was described as a Hispanic male, about 5’10” tall with a thin build, wearing a black ball cap, a dark colored jacket, pants and shoes. It is not clear if he actually had a weapon, Mitchell said.

He left in a dark colored SUV, possibly a Ford Explorer, with roof rack and chrome rims. The SUV was driven by a second suspect, though police did not get a detailed description of the driver.

Saturday night about 7 a woman reported being kidnapped from a business parking lot in the 2400 block of Preston, taken to an unknown location and sexually assaulted.

The woman, who was from out of town, was at an event with her husband when she walked to a nearby store. She said two men in a vehicle pulled up and began flirting with her. When she did not respond, she was pulled into the vehicle.

The driver of the vehicle was described as a black male, about 5’9”-6’2” tall, weighing 150-180 pounds, with a long goatee and wearing black clothing.

The other suspect was described as a white male, about 5’10”-6’1” tall, weighing, about 150-170 pounds, wearing a white beanie and black jacket.

The car was described as a green 2-door vehicle with shiny chrome rims, with a black and gray interior.

A man was threatened with a handgun Thursday about 11:15 p.m. at a gas station at the corner of Richey Street and Southmore Avenue, apparently in relation to a dispute with a neighbor.

Police were called to the scene where the man reported two other men had driven up and approached him threateningly, one displaying a black and gray handgun. One accused him of starting trouble with the assailant’s cousin.

The men fled when they realized the victim was on the phone with the police, Mitchell said.

The victim said he did not recognize the men, but had seen their vehicle at a neighbor’s house. He said the neighbor had complained about his dog barking.